Method of making a rail vehicle wheel



y 1966 F. G. REUTER ETAL 3,252,208

METHOD OF MAKING A RAIL VEHICLE WHEEL Original Filed Feb. 21, 1958 a iJ- 5 y? W A W I Q4 k/I United States Patent 3,252,208 METHOD OF MAKING ARAIL VEHICLE WHEEL Franz G. Reuter, Lemforde, Hannover, and RobertIgelbrinck, Voxtrup, near Osnabruck, Germany, assignors, by mesneassignments, to Mobay Chemical Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporationof Delaware Original application Feb. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 716,674, nowPatent No. 2,999,717, dated Sept. 12, 1961. Divided and this applicationJuly 19, 1961, Ser. No. 150,606 Claims priority, application GermanyFeb. 25, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 29159.01) (Filed under Rule 47(a) and 35U.S.C.- 116) This is a division of US. application Serial No. 716,- 674filed February 21, 195 8 now Patent 2,999,717.

This invention relates generally to disc wheels for vehicles and moreparticularly to disc wheels for rail vehicles and to a method for makingthe same.

The heretofore available disc wheels for rail cars and the like have aseparate wheel disc in the form of a circular flange welded to the hubbody or such wheels have a V-shaped felly. It has been necessary toprovide a split felly for such wheels and to later weld the two partstogether. The resulting wheel having the riveted or welded joints hasnot been entirely satisfactory because the welded joints are not asstrong as a one piece felly would be. The wheel therefore cannotwithstand the fatiguing loads required of them for an extended period oftime.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improveddisc wheel for rail vehicles. Another object of the invention is toprovide a method for making a disc wheel having a one-piece felly. Stillanother object of the invention is to provide a disc wheel of novelconstruction having improved fatigue characteristics and capable ofwithstanding the loads encountered in rail transportation.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description withreference to the accompanying drawing in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view,partially in section, of the parts used to prepare an embodiment of thisinvention; and

FIGURE 2 is a section showing the parts of the embodiment of FIGURE 1 inpartially assembled position; and

FIGURE 3 is another sectional view of the parts assembled together justprior to casting of a synthetic resin insert; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of one-half of the wheel provided by thisinvention.

Generally speaking, the foregoing objects as well as others areaccomplished in accordance with this invention by providing a disc wheelassembled from a wheel body and a one-piece felly. The felly is held inposition with a synthetic resin insert cast thereabout. Morespecifically, the invention provides a method for making a wheel forvehicles having a one-piece felly and a flexible polyurethane resininsert about the telly.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 illustrates a disc wheel body asit appears after it has been formed by rolling or pressing. The left leg1' of the V-shaped rim of body 1 has been shaped to have the correctangle alpha. The right leg 1", however, does not slope from the centerat the angle desired in the finished product. The angle alpha is greaterthan it will be in the finished product and leg 1" does not extend ashigh as leg 1'. As shown in FIGURE 1, leg 1" is at such a height thatfelly 2 can slide over it and into the V of the rim between legs 1' and1". After the felly 2 has been passed over leg 1", leg 1' is pressedinwardly by means of a die towards the plane AA as shown in FIGURE 2.The

felly may be heated and hot pressed, if necessary. Leg 1' is supportedby means of a die as leg 1" is moved inwardly to the correct angle bymeans of die 3.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the die-forming operation with leg 1" joined to thecorrect angle alpha.

. After the felly 2 has been moved into the proper position. betweenlegs 1' and 1", a supporting plastic insert is cast about felly 2 and inbetween legs 1' and 1".

This is done with the assembly in a horizontal position. This plasticinsert is a cast substantially non-porous rubber-like polyurethaneplastic. In casting the insert about felly 2, felly 2 is movedhorizontally towards either leg 1' or leg 1" so that the plane thereofis not coplanar with the plane AA of the Wheel body. The cavity lyingbetween felly 2 and the leg farthest away from it is then filled withsubstantially non-porous rubber-like polyurethane plastic. The properposition of felly 2 for this step is shown in FIGURE 3. The wheel is nowturned over and While in a horizontal position, felly 2 is moved as faras it can be towards that leg of felly 2 adjacent the polyurethaneinsert. This compresses the insert. While the telly is in this position,a second polyurethane insert is cast on the upper side of felly 2,thereby providing an insert on each side of felly 2 between legs 1' andlegs 1". The plastic is then permitted to cure or age and thefinished-wheel is obtained by inserting the wheel body and felly 2 in asuitable One-half of a finished wheel is illustrated in FIGURE 4. Thiswheel has hub 6, body 1 with legs 1' and 1" containing polyurethaneinserts 4 and felly 2. Rim 5 rests on the upper surfaces of felly 2.

The two inserts 4 are exercising substantially the same force againstfelly 2 and thereby hold it in a centered position between legs 1' and1''. The felly carries wheel rim 5. The resulting wheel has an extremelyhigh side stability as a result of the V profile of the felly extendingbetween the two legs 1' and 1".

The wheel body and felly may be shaped from any suitable material. It ispreferred, however, to use iron castings.

The plastic inserts are cast substantially non-porous rubber-likepolyurethane. Any suitable polyurethane of this type may be usedincluding those disclosed in US. Patents 2,729,618, 2,621,166 and2,620,516. Any of the various organic polyisocyanate and organiccompounds having hydrogen atoms reactive with NCO groups may be used inpreparing the polyurethane. Any of 'the crosslinkers disclosed in thesepatents including ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycolor the like may be used. Examples of suitable organic polyisocyanateinclude toluylene diisocyanate, p-phenylene diisocyanate, 1,5naphthylene diisocyanate and the like. Suitable organic compounds havingreactive hydrogen atoms include polyesters having terminalhydroxylgroups prepared by esterification of a dicarboxylic acid and a glycol, apolyalkylene ether glycol prepared by condensation of an alkylene oxidesuch as for example, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide orthe like. The polyurethanes prepared in accordance with the examples ofthe aforesaid patents or the examples for making substantiallynon-porous polyurethanes in US. Patent 2,764,565 may be used. Thepolyurethane is cast about the felly by pouring it into the cavitybetween the felly and the leg of the wheel body and may be cured byheating at a temperature of about 100 C. or higher for up to 24 hours.

Preferably, the polyurethane must have a shore A hardness of from about50 to about and an elasticit of from about 35% to about 65%.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail in theforegoing for the purpose of illustration it is to be understood thatsuch detail is solely for this purpose and that variations can be madetherein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention except as is set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a rail vehicle wheel which comprises providing aone-piece hub and body, said body having a substantially V-shaped edgespaced from said hub having an open radially outer end formed by twolegs, one of said legs forming an angle with the plane of the Wheelgreater than the angle of a finished wheel and the other leg forming alesser angle with the plane of the finished wheel, positioning aone-piece open V-shaped felly having a diameter greater than the outeredge of said one leg Within said V-shaped edge-of said body by movingsaid felly over the leg disposed at the greater angle, pressing the legdisposed at the greater angle toward the plane of the wheel to theposition of the finished wheel and casting polyurethane plastic betweensaid felly and said two legs.

2. A method of making a rail vehicle Wheel which comprises providing aone-piece hub and body, said body having a substantially V-shaped edgespaced from said hub having an open radially outer end formed by twolegs, one of said legs forming an angle with the plane of the wheelgreater than the angle of a finished wheel and the other leg formingalesser angle with the plane of the finished Wheel, positioning aone-piece open V-shaped telly having a diameter greater than the outeredge of said one leg within said V-shaped edge of said body by movingsaid felly over the leg disposed at the greater angle, pressing the legdisposed at the greater angle toward the plane of the wheel to theposition of the finished wheel, moving said felly toward one of saidlegs, casting polyurethane plastic into the space formed between theother of said legs and said felly, moving the felly against theresulting casting and casting a second polyurethane insert on theopposite side of the felly thereby positioning the felly in a positioncoplanar with the wheel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 294,461 3/1884Gendron 29l59.1 X 2,895,175 7/1959 Reuter et al 29511 2,898,142 8/1959Kordes 29159 2,954,259 9/ 1960 Kordes 295-11 JOHN F. CAMPBELL, PrimaryExaminer.

NEDWIN- BERGER, Examiner.

S. C. KAHLER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A METHOD OF MAKING A RAIL VEHICLE WHEEL WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING AONE-PIECE HUB AND BODY, SAID BODY HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED EDGESPACED FROM SAID HUB HAVING AN OPEN RADIALLY OUTER END FORMED BY TWOLEGS, ONE OF SAID LEGS FORMING AN ANGLE WITH THE PLANE OF THE WHEELGREATER THAN THE ANGLE OF A FINISHED WHEEL AND THE OTHER LEG FORMING ALESSER ANGLE WITH THE PLANE OF THE FINISHED WHEEL, POSITIONING AONE-PIECE OPEN V-SHAPED FELLY HAVING A DIMETER GREATER THAN THE OUTEREDGE OF SAID ONE LEG WITHIN SAID V-SHAPED EDGE OF SAID BODY BY MOVINGSAID FELLY OVER THE LEG DISPOSED AT THE GREATER ANGLE, PRESSING THE LEGDISPOSED AT THE GREATER ANGLE TOWARD THE PLANE OF THE WHEEL TO THEPOSITION OF THE FINISHED WHEEL AND CASTING POLYURETHANE PLASTIC BETWEENSAID FELLY AND SAID TWO LEGS.